


Close Encounters

by probably



Series: Sasuke Makes Tables and Other Fine Objects [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Slice of Life, a tiny side story, especially when they're about naruto, hints of sasunaru if you squint through a telescope, sasuke loves tabloids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 23:03:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2829233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/probably/pseuds/probably
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>sasuke just wants to buy some tomato seeds</p>
            </blockquote>





	Close Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> yes hi its me, i made a tiny one-shot that takes place in the same universe as "we fit together like dovetail joints blabla" and its before naruto finds sasuke but they're in the same place for a few minutes and if you've read the other fic it'll probably make more sense.
> 
> if not, here's the lowdown: sasuke left ninja society to master carpentry in the outskirts of konoha. he has an apprentice. he sometimes goes to the center of town to do run errands but disguises heavily so as to not be recognized bc he kinda left without telling anyone. he did a thing with his chakra to suppress it, dont ask me how cause i dont know. naruto is gonna be hokage soon and is also commonly the subject of konoha's most unforgiving gossip rag.
> 
>  
> 
> ok
> 
> bye

“I can’t believe they think I have a secret pregnant girlfriend!” Naruto huffed, throwing that day’s issue of the Konoha Post back on the shelf reserved for local publications at the Yamanaka Flower Shop. “And why are you even selling this drivel?!”

Ino giggled behind her hands. He had come in looking for some suggestions for the community garden he wanted to start in the middle of town but instead had gotten distracted by the glaring headline and the blurred photo of him patting the stomach of a very pregnant lady, while smiling up at her proud boyfriend. “People need entertainment and right now…that’s your supposed love life,” she shrugged, smiling impishly. “Which, I think they’d all be disappointed to hear that it’s nowhere near as exciting as what they think it is.”

“Good! I’m too busy doing more important things!” he scowled, crossing his arms. He hated whoever came up with this fake stuff. Who even were these sources anyway written in the articles? He thumbed through a few issues when the headlines were SUPER bad, and he was pretty sure he’d never confided into any of these “supposed close friends” as suggested. The only person who he believed would ever sell a fake story for a quick buck was Sai…but there weren’t any articles written about his penis size yet, so he was out of the equation.

“Oh it’s just a little fun, everyone knows you’re serious about your work, what’s a little speculative journalism.” Ino would never admit that she religiously followed every piece of gossip about Naruto’s love life as well. She wasn’t hankering for a date or anything, but he was notoriously private about his personal life and had been single for as long as anyone can remember! “Anyway, I think I have a few starter plants that’ll get your little project well on its way. I got the plans yesterday and it’s a pretty substantial plot of land. Pretty lucky. Come, come!”

The two weaved through the abundance of flora and fauna, coming to a section containing potted herbs, bulbs, seed packets, and saplings. Hunched over a section reserved for tomatoes was a cloaked figure with wild dark hair and a shorter youth, sighing with impatience and texting. “Sensei we have been here for literally an hour, can we GO. A tomato is a tomato, honestly.”

The older man hummed in response, not really listening or caring what the younger had to say. 

“Uhm, excuse me, sir,” Ino tapped the cloaked man on the shoulder. “Did you need any assistance? I work here, so I’d be glad to answer any questions!” 

The man turned around slowly, drawing his inky eyes up to glance momentarily at Naruto and then up to meet Ino’s, who gasped at the intensity of his stare. Naruto yawned, examining a spring onion plant. “Is there a discount price for buying in bulk?” He asked through his black, gauzy face mask.

His smooth, deep voice was vaguely familiar to Ino, but she couldn’t quite place it. He was really strange though. She would’ve remembered seeing a figure like this walking around Konoha. She wondered if he were just traveling through, maybe on some kind of a training trip with his student, who appeared to be the one bugging him to leave the store. 

“Uhh, well no one’s ever really…asked,” she chuckled. “I tell you what though, if you buy ten, I’ll give you 40% off, how’s that?” 

“I’ll take twenty.”

“O-Oh…ok! Well, just pick which ones you’d like and meet me at the front, I have to help my friend out here for a second. He’s got a big ol’ community project he’s working on,” she smiled proudly at the space Naruto had previously been occupying. Ugh. He’d gotten distracted by the succulents nearby. The strange man followed her line of sight and grunted, grabbing a large handful of heirloom tomato seed packs, making his way towards the other end of the store. 

His student looked up, muttered a small ‘finally,’ and followed the man, turning to Ino briefly with a smile.

Smiling back, she craned her head to find Naruto lightly caressing an aloe vera plant. “Naruto! That’s not what you’re here for!” She beckoned him over.

“Yeah, but you so rudely interrupted my consultation, I had to go entertain myself!”

“Ugh, whatever,” she glanced back to where the two men were waiting. “Did you recognize that guy at all? In the mask and cloak?” 

Naruto looked back and then to Ino. “No, why, should I have? I assumed he was either a civilian or traveling. Or both. I didn’t really sense a substantial amount of chakra in his body.” At that he heard Kurama chuckle lowly in the back of his mind. He ignored it.

“Yeah, same, but his voice just seemed…I don’t know. Strangely familiar. Whatever, all guys sound the same if you don’t know them I guess. Anyway, I think all these plants will be good for your garden. There are basic kitchen staples as well as some more gourmet things and easy to maintain once you learn how. We can talk about seasonals once you’ve got things in the ground. Let me know if you have questions, although I’m sure you’ll be fine. I gotta go ring up some customers!”

Naruto smiled as he watched Ino make her way back to the front of the store before turning back to the plants. 

Ino found the two men waiting for her at the front counter, the cloaked one idly flipping through the Konoha Post. His younger companion had since put his phone away, lazily reading along with his teacher. 

“Wow, so I guess since that giant war ended things have gotten so dull that everyone’s had to resort to obsessing over who’s dating who.”

“Hn.”

“I don’t even know any of these people…I mean look at this guy with the whiskers. Isn’t he like some kind of local hero? Quite the lady’s man. He’s on like the front page everyday about some new girlfriend. Isn’t he supposed to be the next what is it??”

“Hokage.”

“Yeah, I don’t keep up with that ninja stuff. Hopefully he can keep it in his pants long enough to do a good job leading…not that it’ll affect me or you or anything.”

The masked man shut the magazine, casually setting it on the counter. “I agree.”

Ino snorted, Naruto could never catch a break. So they seemed to be locals, but most definitely not shinobi. She stepped from behind a large fern and greeted them, asking them the usual questions, if they’d found everything they’d needed, all that.

She rang up all twenty of the man’s heirloom tomato seeds, giving him his bulk discount as promised, but hesitated when she saw the issue of the Konoha Post, positioned in a way that made it confusing to distinguish if he wanted to purchase it or not. A sale was a sale though, and she figured if he didn’t want it, he’d say something. She took the magazine and rang it up as well, looking up to give him his total only to find the man staring intensely at a hanging plant on the wall. His student rolled his eyes at the little show that he’d become all too familiar with.

“Uh, that’ll be 1800 yen,” she said as she bagged his items.

He slid a bill towards her, pausing slightly as he saw her place the Konoha Post in with his tomato seeds. “Oh…how did that get in there?” he mused lazily.

She froze. “Oh! Sorry, I saw it on the counter, I should’ve asked! I can –“

He closed his eyes and held up a hand. “No, it’s ok. I might as well take it. I can just use it for scrap paper or something.” He took the bag from her hand. “Keep the change.”

As he turned to walk out of the store, the youth gave one final eye roll and turned to Ino. “That’s all a ruse. The Konoha Post is his guilty pleasure, though don’t ask me why. It’s all lame.” With that, he followed his teacher out of the store and into the crowd of townspeople. 

Ino sighed. What a strange duo. But for some reason she couldn’t put her finger on, the older man seemed so, so familiar. Where had she seen those piercing eyes before? Her thoughts were interrupted by a throng of Naruto’s bursting from the other side of the store, carrying all sorts of herbs, vegetables, and little fruit trees. 

Whatever, she thought. It was probably someone she had seen in passing anyway and hadn’t remembered til now.

Outside, Sasuke walked along the streets of Konoha, carrying his bag of tomato seeds and the latest issue of the Konoha Post, accompanied on his right by his student. “Hn, that was a close one.”


End file.
